UPDATE: Apple, Google Cut App Commissions By 50%, But Spotify Says It’s Not Enough

UPDATE: Apple and Google will cut the commissions charged to subscription apps by 50%. Even small changes can erase buckets of red ink when you have tens of millions of users, but in a statement Spotify says its not enough and does not address core issues. _____________________________________________ Apple and Google…

UPDATE: Spotify To Stream Radiohead "Moon Shaped Pool" 6.17, But It Almost Became Streamer’s First Windowed Release

UPDATE: Radhiohead’s latest album "A Moon Shaped Pool" will be available for streaming on Spotify starting on June 17th, the same day that the CD and vinyl versions of the album are released. But a bigger story has just been uncovered. _______________________________________________________ Spotify will begin streaming Radhiohead’s new "A Moon…

How To Go From Band To Brand

For many contemporary bands and artists, success has become closely dependent on being able to successfully build an online fanbase, to which they can then market themselves. Here we look at six tips for turning your band into a brand. _______________________ Guest Post by Ohad Bolotin, head of Wix Music…

8tracks: Crowd-Curated Net Radio Service Experiments With New Investment Strategy [INTERVIEW]

Here we talk with David Porter, the founder of the new human-curated internet radio service 8tracks, about their new equity-based crowdfunding strategy, and how the service stands out form other internet radio offerings. _______________________________ Guest Post by Chris Robley on The DIY Musician If you’re digitally distributing your music through…

Growing Streams On Spotify: A Case Study Pitch Deck

Here we look at a pitch deck for a case study done by Crosshair on how their Gyrosity Project helped to launch a Nashville pop artist and, through strategic playlist placement were able to dramatically grow their streams on Spotify. _________________________________________ Guest post from Crosshair Related articles American Idol Winners…

Apple Music Enlists Fashion Designers to Curate Playlists, First Up Is Alexander Wang

As music streaming services search for any point of differentiation, their bound to try the unusual. Now, perhaps because they are the arbiters of style, Apple Music is turning to fashion designers to curate playlists. What’s next? LeBron James’ before game playlist? Actually, I’d like to hear that… ____________________________________________ Apple…

Could Record Release Dates Be Played Out?

With more and more high profile artists like Beyoncé, Radiohead, and even David Bowie eschewing traditional record release dates in favor of surprise album drops accompanied by massive social media hype, the question is being raised if traditional album releases are becoming a thing of the past. __________________________________ Guest Post…

Troy Carter Explains Why He Joined Spotify As Global Head Of Creator Services To "Protect The Voice Of Artists"

Yesterday’s announcement that Troy Carter was leaving artist management to join Spotify was confirmation that the music streamer intended to chase exclusive content much like its competitors. But it was also a head scratchier. Why would a wildly successful artist manager and tech investor want to take a job at…

How I Optimized My Spotify Playlist

In this piece, Zach Smith discusses how he was able build and promote a Spotify playlist by reaching out across different networks to various individuals and fan groups. __________________________________ Guest Post by Zach Smith on William Paterson University’s Music Biz 101 What is the Ultimate Guitar Riff? Over the past…

Deezer Sells Podcast Service Stitcher To Scripps For $4.5 Million

Perhaps to raise a little cash in its ongoing battle with Spotify and Apple Music and perhaps because users of paid music streaming services are fine with free standalone podcast apps, Deezer has sold popular podcast service Stitcher to Scripps for $4.5 million. __________________________________ The E.W. Scripps Company has acquired…